Wednesday, 9 May 2012

They
were clearly expecting trouble at the Wigmore Hall this evening.
Patrons entered the building under the watchful eye of two security
guards, and the number of uniformed staff patrolling the foyers
inside was unusually high. The reason? Pro-Palestinian demonstrators
have made it a tradition to disrupt performances by the Jerusalem
Quartet. Their most high-profile hit was at this very venue last
year, so the management had every reason to be cautious.

In the
event, no disruptions occurred, which was just as well for all
present, as the performance was to a very high standard indeed, and
distractions would have been deeply frustrating. In fact,
music-lovers on the south coast may have borne the brunt of the
Wigmore's diligence. The quartet played in Brighton last night, and
as the Wigmore was clearly on high alert, the protesters went there
instead to make a nuisance of themselves.

To be
fair to the Wigmore Hall, the extra security measures were very
discrete. The security guards were all immaculately dressed, and the
programme itself wasn't affected in the slightest. And what a
programme it was! The Jerusalem Quartet are rightly famous for the
intensity and focus of their interpretations, and Schumann's chamber
music is the ideal vehicle for their considerable talents. Alexander
Melnikov is another intense and passionate performer who plays any
19th century German music as if it had been written just
for him.

But how
does a piano soloist of such idiosyncratic distinction fit into a
chamber ensemble? The answer on this occasion was – very well
indeed. It turns out that the musical virtues that elevate the
Jerusalem Quartet above most of the competition are very similar to
those that make Melnikov such an individual at the keyboard. Both
treat rubato as the rule rather than the exception. And both
regularly go to dynamic extremes, but without letting the rhythmic
precision or the measured phasing suffer in the process.

The
Op.47 Quartet casts each of the players as individuals, only
begrudgingly bringing them together for homogeneous tuttis. In other
hands, the textures can seem bare, but the tonal weight of each of
these players ensures a feeling of intensity in every phrase. It is
clear that the three string players have spent hundreds of hours
performing together, to the extent that they sound like the same
musician, playing violin, viola and cello respectively. Melnikov is
obviously at a disadvantage here, but he's on the same musical
wavelength. His playing is big-boned, very physical and very legato.
Schumann gives the players a hand by always carefully balancing the
piano against the ensemble, and despite Melnikov's 'Russian'
dynamics, he rarely dominated the textures.

There
was great communication between Melnikov and the cellist, Kyril
Zlotnikov, with the piano left hand synchronising skilfully with the
cello's bass lines. That didn't always quite work though. In the slow
movement of the Quartet, Melnikov got ahead of the strings, a problem
that remained for a surprisingly long time. The string playing wasn't
note perfect either. All of them had moments of insecure passage work
and questionable tuning on individual notes. But these really were
isolated incidents, and the sheer musicality of the performance more
than compensated.

The
more famous Op.44 Quintet sounded almost symphonic when performed
with this level of physical intensity and dynamic extremes. There was
nothing safe about this performance. In the development section of
the first movement, Melnikov really took liberties with the tempos,
at one point winding down the ostinato until it gradually reached a
standstill, then kicking back in with the next phrase at tempo.
Fortunately, the quartet was able to keep track, not limiting
Melnikov's indulgences, but closely following every one.

The
combination of extreme dynamics and thick legato briefly threatened
the agility of the scherzo, which sounded a little muddy in the
opening bars. But precise articulation of the phrases had the effect
of delineating the music's structure and giving the movement the
sense of direction it needed. And the finale was a triumph, the
precision of the playing and the shared sense of musical purpose
bringing everything together for a thrilling and fitting finale.

The
concert formed part of a UK tour, promoting a new CD. It is no
coincidence then, that the disc on sale in the foyer shared its
programme with the concert itself. No doubt the players will have
sorted out the small ensemble and tuning issues in the studio. And
given the track record of both quartet and pianist, they are all
supremely able to recreate the excitement of the recital hall on
disc. So if the concert was designed to generate interest in the new
CD, it worked – on me anyway. Although I haven't heard the disc
myself, I'd say the chances are it is going to something special. Buy
it.

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Gavin Dixon is a writer, journalist, editor and blogger specialising in classical music. He writes reviews and articles for a number of publications and websites. Gavin has a PhD on the Symphonies of Alfred Schnittke and is currently a Visiting Research Fellow at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is also a member of the editorial team behind the ‘Alfred Schnittke Collected Works’ edition, which recently began publication in St Petersburg. More information on Gavin’s writing activities can be found at his website: www.gavindixon.info